TVS Star City+ long term review: After 3,623km and 7 months
Wouldn't you be attracted to something which is beautiful, unique and desirable? Why am I talking about this? You see I have been riding the Star City + for quite some time and despite the skepticism about how it is just a 110cc motorcycle and hence can be no fun, I find more and more reasons to ride it. This despite the motorcycle not really being beautiful, unique or particularly desirable on paper.
Allow me to explain. The Star City may not be beautiful but I think it has superb build and paint quality. I find myself quite drawn to the motorcycle because of the way it feels to ride. It belies its small dimensions and engine capacity to bring a smile to your face every time you ride it. It's quite a quick bike but still delivers nothing less than 48kmpl even when ridden flatout at its top reach of around 90kmph. The engine is relatively vibe free, especially when compared to some very established competition. The ride quality is decent, something which most 110cc motorcycles find hard to achieve with a pillion. I have ridden it for close to 200km at a stretch and my pillion didn't complain even once. I also do a lot of riding two up and I have found the bike remains stable and easy to manoeuvre even with the extra weight at the back. Pillions have also given me nothing but positive feedback on comfort and in my mother's case, ease of getting on and off.
However, there are some quirks. For example, the pass light switch doesn't work when the headlamp is on so its only a helpful feature in the day. I have also found that the fuel gauge is highly erratic, as are the economy and power mode lights.
The Star City+ may definitely be the underdog in its segment but like every great story, the underdog eventually beats the big guns as was evident in our 110cc comparo last year. Few quirks aside, I prefer a motorcycle which puts a smile on my face every time I ride it and the Star City+ does just that.
Odo reading: 3,623km, date acquired: Aug '14 this month: mileage:1,974km, fuel: 41 litres, efficiency 48kmpl
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